Must-knows about rail passes for the whole country

  • The Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Travel Pass Flex allow free traveling by train, bus, and boat throughout Switzerland. Mountain trips are discounted.
  • The Swiss Half Fare Card gets you discounted trips in all of Switzerland.
  • The Interrail Switzerland Pass can be used by European tourists visiting Switzerland. It covers less than the Swiss Travel Pass.
  • The Swiss Transfer Ticket and Swiss Card no longer exist. But there are perfect alternatives.

Swiss Travel System rail passes

The “Swiss Travel System” is the umbrella name for the 3 rail passes that allow traveling across the whole of Switzerland. The passes provide an easy way to travel on nearly all trains, buses, boats, cable cars and other modes of transport.

RhB train with panoramic coaches near Punt Muragl, Oberengadin

Swiss Travel Pass

Your complete Swiss Travel Pass resource, with insider tips, an overview and map of what’s included, how it works, prices, …
Regional train near Bever, Upper Engadine, in fall

Swiss Travel Pass Flex

All Swiss Travel Pass Flex details, including network coverage, prices and discounts, how to use it and more. If you …
Rhaetian Railways ticketing machine 1

Swiss Half Fare Card

Discounted traveling throughout Switzerland for 1 month with the Swiss Half Fare Card: how it works, what’s included, prices, and …

Interrail passes

Interrail is a series of passes to allow European citizens to easily travel across multiple countries. There’s one for Switzerland as well.

Train in the Engadine along hiking path at Cinuos-chel-Brail

Interrail Switzerland Pass

The Interrail Switzerland Pass is an alternative to the Swiss Travel Pass if you primarily travel by train, and not …

Discontinued Swiss rail passes

Swiss Transfer Ticket

As of 2019, the Swiss Transfer Ticket is no longer available. The product offered a journey by public transport, from the Swiss border or a Swiss airport to any town in Switzerland, and back. It was used by people who did not travel much once they reached their destination (for a ski holiday for example).

If you make trips on just 1 or 2 days, consider these alternatives:

If you’ll be traveling for more than 2 days, other rail passes are probably a better alternative.

Swiss Card

The Swiss Card offered the same arrival and return journey as the Swiss Transfer Ticket. In addition, it provided a 50% discount throughout Switzerland between the inbound and outbound trips.

It was a good option for people who had to make a long trip from the Swiss border to their destination, and who didn’t plan to travel a whole lot during their stay.

If you’ll be making this type of trip, look into these alternatives:

  • Combine a Swiss Half Fare Card for trips during your stay with a discounted Saver Day Pass for your long inbound and outbound trips. If your arrival and departure trip are relatively short, just get normal discounted tickets.
  • Get a Swiss Travel Pass Flex to cover your long inbound and outbound trip, and to cover the days on which you want to travel in between.

Swiss Pass

The Swiss Pass isn’t actually discontinued. It’s just that its name changed in 2014. It’s the product that’s now called Swiss Travel Pass. Some travelers still call the product “Swiss Pass”. And then there’s also a “SwissPass” for Swiss residents, but that has nothing to do with the Swiss Travel Pass you may consider.

Please look here for a detailed explanation about the former Swiss Pass, and about the differences between the current SwissPass for residents and Swiss Travel Pass for tourists.

Get help finding the right pass

RhB train in Val Bever in autumn

All tickets and passes

Use our rail pass finder to quickly select the best pass or ticket for your Switzerland trip: from the Swiss …
Scenic panorama train near Rothenbrunnen, Graubünden

Find your cheapest ticket or pass

Picking the best rail pass for your Switzerland trip isn’t always easy. Our guide and free comparison downloads help you …

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Arno
Page author: ArnoI have visited Switzerland countless times since 1997. I've explored most of the country, but find myself staying in the Bernese Oberland and Graubünden most frequently. The alps and the rail network remain very impressive, even after all these years.